"This does an awful lot of damage and in the breeding season it's also possible for pubescent bats to fall from the roof onto the floor," he said.

A statement from the church says the 260 bats have defecated all over the church, which could be potentially unsafe for the congregation, which includes young children. However laws for the protection of bats means they have been unable to do much.

Rev Stephen Thorp said: "We don't want to kill or harm the bats in anyway, but we do think it's fundamentally wrong that human beings and bats should be forced to share the same indoor dwelling space".

Now the church hopes that it can use ultrasound technology in an attempt to expel the bats from the building, which is over 600 years old.